Comparison

Spell&Speak vs Build Up!!

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Spell&Speak

This app offers a fun and educational way for children aged 3 and up to learn reading and writing through various game modes. It features letter recognition, word spelling, and even a secret code generator, all with an engaging voice interface reminiscent of classic 80s games.

Highlights
  • Multiple game modes (Spell, Say It, Letter, Code, Mystery Word)
  • Teaches spelling and reading
  • Letter recognition and pronunciation
  • Secret code creation
  • Word guessing game
  • Universal app compatibility
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Spell&Speak is a tribute to the 80's game that has thrilled generations and teach them to read and write and have fun playing with his unmistakable "voice". In this new digital version retains it's flavor and simplicity typical of the game. It offers different game modes: Spell, Say It, Letter, Code and Mystery Word, during which each letter typed and spoken word is the corresponding display on the display. For 3 years children and up, you can learn while having fun, is also suitable for all adults with a hint of nostalgia, remember the good times we had to play and learn. Spell&Speak is an Universal App, therefore compatible with all devices and already optimized to work well even on the New iPad with retinal display • Spell Game To start the game press the letter corresponding to the level you want (there are four levels of increasing difficulty, from A to D), and finally press GO the button. At this point, the Spell&Speak says a word that the child will write and confirm by pressing the Enter key. At the error, you have another chance to rewrite it. If you are wrong, Spell&Speak pronounce the word three times, one of which spelling, so that the child has a correct perception of individual letters and the correlation between sound and form, this repetition after switching to the next word until the end the match. At this point the result is displayed, showing the number of correct words and misspelled words that were written. Each play has 10 words. • Say It Game Say It offers a series of 10 random words that the child will repeat as they go while displaying their grammar and writing. At the end of the game, the child may choose to continue with 10 other words or switch to another game. • Letter Game Pressing the Letter button Spell&Speak pronunciation and displays, each press of the button, a letter of the alphabet at random, before moving to the next letter, the child has the opportunity to write a letter shown below the text in its will. This game is aimed to teach the various letters to distinguish the sound of reconnecting to the form and typing the same letter delivered by Spell&Speak, or can be used as a game of fantasy writing a word that starts with the letter proposal. • Secret Code Pressing the Secret Code button the child can write a word and with the Enter key can convert it into a secret code that consisting of numbers and symbols. • Mystery Word It consists in guessing the hidden word. On display are many hyphens as the letters of the word to guess. By pressing the correct letter, it appears going to position within the word itself. If you fail more than 6 times the letter Spell&Speak will reveal the hidden word by pronouncing it and showing it on the display. New in version 1.1 •Minor Bugfixing. •Added the ability to play with Italian words while receiving instructions in English. (Key Module Select). •Added the ""Best Voice"". The Original Voice is perfect if you want to relive the emotions of childhood. The "Best Voice" is better if you want to use Spell&Speak for educational purposes. (Key Module Select). •Added the ability to use Spell&Speak with headphones, for the happiness of all parents :-) (do not recommend using headphones to children under the age of 12 years).

About

Build Up!!

Construct your tower as tall as possible by strategically placing building nodes. Collect more nodes as you ascend to reach crucial checkpoints and achieve new heights.

Highlights
  • Build structures high
  • Gather building nodes
  • Reach checkpoints
  • Ascend to new heights
Features
Read full description

Build your structure as high as you can! Gather additional building nodes along the way and reach the checkpoints!

Screenshots

Spell&Speak4 screens
Build Up!!3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Build Up!! at Free against Spell&Speak's $1.99. Build Up!! also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months). Spell&Speak's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Build Up!! is free to download; Spell&Speak costs $1.99 up front. Build Up!! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spell&Speak asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Build Up!! holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Build Up!! has 17K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Spell&Speak's written reviews are positive against 34% of Build Up!!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spell&Speak ships an update every 6 months, Build Up!! fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Spell&Speak versus Build Up!!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpell&SpeakBuild Up!!
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating2.5 (28 ratings)4.5 (17K ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.0% of reviews — better34.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2817K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#8 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB266 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMattia ConfalonieriVoodoo

Customer experience

Spell&Speak

All ratings27 ratings
Positive29.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative59.3%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive44.0%
Neutral14.0%
Negative42.0%

Build Up!!

All ratings16,019 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral5.8%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive34.1%
Neutral16.2%
Negative49.7%

User reviews

Spell&Speak

From 28 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Nostalgic feel
  • 👍 Faithful reproduction of original
  • 🎶 Recognizable electronic voice
  • 🗣️ Alternative clearer voice available
  • 🕹️ Fun retro gaming experience

Room to improve

  • 🤏 Tiny UI buttons
  • 😵 Difficult to understand original voice
  • 💰 Waste of money for some
  • 🐌 Slow and unresponsive at times
  • 🖼️ Small font size in help menu

Build Up!!

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and fun game
  • 🚀 Runs well with no crashes
  • 💰 Free to play

Room to improve

  • 💸 Excessive ads
  • 🐛 Impossible or buggy levels
  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay

Bugs and requests

Spell&Speak

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App does not work
  • User interface buttons are tiny
  • Font on Help menu is too small
  • Words can be unintelligible
  • App/interaction not working as it should
Show 5 more
  • Screenshot only, not functional
  • Does not tell you if answer is right or wrong
  • Buttons are too small and unresponsive
  • Functions are mostly unresponsive on iPhone 5
  • Cannot zoom in or increase display size

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to purchase extra words
  • Create a Speak & Read app for iPad
  • Add French and Spanish language support
  • Ability to edit or control word lists
  • Feature to type and have app read words

Build Up!!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Rivet counter malfunction
  • Levels regenerating incorrectly
  • Tower physics issues

Requested features

3 requests
  • More level variety
  • Ability to create custom maps
  • Removal of perfect triangle requirement

In-app purchases

None

Spell&Speak

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Build Up!!

One-time1
  • Remove Ads.$2.99

Questions

Is Spell&Speak free?
Spell&Speak costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Build Up!! free?
Build Up!! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spell&Speak or Build Up!!?
Build Up!! is rated higher. Spell&Speak averages 2.5 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Build Up!! averages 4.5 from 17K ratings.
Do Spell&Speak or Build Up!! have ads?
Build Up!! shows ads; Spell&Speak does not.
Which is updated more often, Spell&Speak or Build Up!!?
Spell&Speak ships an update every 6 months, and Build Up!! fortnightly. Most recently, Spell&Speak was updated on November 6, 2026 and Build Up!! on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons